Ask anyone and they will tell you they want more bang for their buck when it comes to tax dollars and governmental services.

Citizens regularly chide government officials for their actions or inactions and demand more resources while decrying excessive expenditures on unnecessary governmental services.

Some people even take the quote, “The best government is that which governs the least,” attributed to Henry David Thoreau in his essay “Civil Disobedience,” to the extreme and call for a complete abolishment of the city’s government.

Advocates of abolishing Natchez city government say shrinking population, loss of jobs and businesses combined with increasing expenditures have rendered the city board ineffective and advocate for having only one government for Adams County.

To their credit, members of the Natchez Mayor and Board of Aldermen agreed to explore all of the options from consolidation to changing forms of government and are hosting forums to educate citizens on those options up to and including having only one board.

Organizers worked with a neutral party — the Stennis Institute of Local Government at Mississippi State University — to organize, host and present the forums so citizens can educate themselves about the options.

The first forum was held May 5 and gave attendees an overview of the types of government available to municipalities under Mississippi law and the strengths and weaknesses of each form.

Now, on Tuesday, the second and final forum in the series will bring in experts on local governmental consolidation to give an overview to attendees on the possibilities for consolidating services.

We urge all who can to attend and to learn as much as possible about the options — what has worked in other areas and what did not work in other areas — so we can make the best and most informed decisions about any potential changes to our local governmental structures and services.